The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-25
DISCLOSURES OF ABUSES.
More Witnesses Tell How Insane Patients
Are Brutality Beaten.
Instances of the Cruelty of the Democratic
Ward Bummers Employed as Attendants
in the Hospital for the Insane.

vestigating the Hospital for the Insane con-
tinued its work. Witnesses were introduced by
the defense to testify regarding DR.. Harrisons
character for truth and veracity and morality.
Inc witnesses were all from Boone county, and
were Michael Keefe. deputy clerk: Oliver d.
Mise, Ec F. Hedges. deputy treasurer John W.
hedges, formerly county auditor; John Huff
mann, coal-deaer; John W. Bowser. l.. NJ. KEEL
sey. Mayor of Lebanon; George w. Norwood,
ex-county treasurer and ex-township trustee;
all OF whom, with the exception of Mr. Kelsey,
are Democrats. The defense, in attempting to
give a good character to DIR. Harrison, tried hard
to establish sort of dead line in the mans lfe
beyond which it appeared to be extrahazardous
for the defense to 60 This line was placed
eighs years back, and the attempt to show
that his life during these eight years last past
was not bad-that there had been an improve
ment. On cross-examination number of the
witnesses were not fully grounded in their be-
LEI IN his morals and truthfulness. as not to ad
init that his imroralities had been matter of
common conversation.
Wm killian, now employed at the Hospital
for the Insane, department for men, as usher
ana LIBRARIAN, was placed upon the stand. Wit
ness testified that he will have been at tho hos
pitai SIX years the first day of next August DR..
Rogers was superintendent when he first went
there. He testified that under DR.. kogers's ad-
m'nistration the house was full of cribs In a
CRIB man could not sit up, he could only turn
over. There YVES then system of straps. DR..
Fletcher had the cribs taken out and burnt.
Witness believed nearly all the straps and re-
straints were then destroyed. Ladies' had been
nf fho a1o vordc viii Vr;<r
thought was good thing. He said that Mrs.
Talbot is on one of the worst male wards and
Sc, IS to get along we'll. She has two male at
tendants with her.
Benjamin A. Sands was the next witness He
testified that he had been employed at the hos
pital since Oct. Is, 1856 He was an attendant
| until Feb. l, 1887, in the department for men.
This witness escaped on the butter inquiry by
testifylng that he didn't eat butter at all. He
had never seen any butter with maggots in it.
| He is reader of the Indianapolis journal, and
saw reports about it there. He testified that the
attendants had beefsteak for breakfast He
| also testified that the patients had Deefsteak
occasionally, but could not fix any date when
such an occurrence had taken place. He re-
mem bered with moro dIstinctness that the pa-
| TENTS have kind of meat stew for breakfast.
Question-You don't eat butter now; did you eat
butter before you went to the hospital
Answer am a little peculiar about my eating. I
never eat butter unless l know who makes it.
Witness did pay money for political purposes.
but said there was no compusion. He had
attended the congressional primary last fall.
He did not belong to the campaign club.
Q.-On which side were you in the Bynum and Bailey
controversy
A.-That is private and doesn't belong to hospital
| affairs at all was in favor of Bynum.
Mr.. Griffths-I ask the question because DR..
Fletcher in his testimony said that controversy made
4 a great deal of trouble in the hospital.
| n Rau
at towan Delaware county. was called. He tes-
| tilted that he was employed there from March,
| 1883. TO Jan. /, 1884 He was assistant store
| keeper. He was there two months under Halls
| stewardship. Witness considered Hall inefficient
| because he had no business qualifications. He
| did not think man who had never had any ex-
| perieEce in business was capable of taking hold
| Of an institution of that kind and running it.
Q.-What do you know of alterations in his books9
! A.-When Captain Stansberry left the institution
and Professor Hall took charge, there several
leaves torn from the ledger. I thought it was Mr..
| Hail. object
Objected to by Mr.. Wesner.
Witness-I only know from my assistant book
keeper, Mr. Gibson. Mr. Gibson called my attention
to it, and showed the ledger where Hall had cut out
| some pages.
Witness testified that he had trouble on sew
| eral occasions with butter from John E. Sulli-
| van, which did not come up to the standard in
| the reGuisition. Witness was of opinion that
| there collision between the trustees and
| dealers, from the fact that the bids were taken
| at certain prices when the same goods could
| have been furnished by other parties for less
| than the hospital contracted for them. He
thought the goods could have been bought 20 per
| cent less-dry goods, especially.
| Trustee Burrell, in cross-examining this wit
| ness. who is brother of ex Senator Bell. GER
tainly endeavored to suppress nothing in arriv-
ing at prices. The witness informed him that
| Humboldt jeans. for which thirty eight cents
was paid, could, in his opinion, have been bought
at any wholesale dry goods house for thirty five
cents and that muslins for which eight cents
were paid, could at that time have been bought
| for less money
Mr. Swift and Mr. Loop each made an inef.
fectual effort to extract from this witness mar
| ration in regard to a scandalous rumor concern.
ing DIR. Harrison while the latter was a lodger
at the Hospital for the Insane. Evidently the
witness had made it . matter of conversation,
but shrank from testifying, and the questions
were not pressed.
William Holland. for Ave years An attendant,
testified that he had seen some treatment oil
patients that to him seemed a little rough In
two Of these cases. both of the attendants beine
his own partners. were discharged instanter
Witness had contributed eight or ten dollar:
altogether to campaign funds since the had beer
at the hospital. He paid it to Mr.. Forest
supervisor, as he passed through Wtnes:
didn't belong to any campaign club, but went t.
, | the Shelbyville barbecue. He did not think b.
| lost his pay for the time he was gone there.
John H. Creesnger now night watch, soutl
| wing OF mems department. came 70 nOsPlta
April q, 1888, and was assigned to ward duty
} Witness said he had never seen any really crue
treatment to patients by attendants It some
times took force to prevent a patient from hurt
ing persons.
, Mr.. Burrell-Were you in any combination to kee
it secret to cruelty that might be practiced by
PENDANTS upon the patients?
Witness-No, sir / was not, and don't know of an
| such combination.
I. D. C. Craven, an employe in the male depart
= ment of the hospital, was the next witness. "a
: has been at the hospital since March II, 1881
> | He had served as an attendant on wards 9,
8 and E. Patients were treated all right on q
: the wards he had care OF.
James Dallas farmer of Lagrange county
. was the next witness. and his introduction Gre
). ated decided sensation. He is the husband c
8 Mrs. Coruelia E. Dallas. the patient who disa,